Heel constructions



y 6, 1957 s. DARVIE 2,799,098

HEEL CONSTRUCTIONS Filed Dec. 10, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 4 FIG. I.

INVENTOR SAMUEL DARVIE ATTORNEY.

- Filed Dec. 10. 1956 s. DARVlE 7 2,799,098

HEEL CONSTRUCTIONS July 16, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 F/q I4.

INVENTOR SAMUEL DARVIE ATTORNEY.

Uni ed Stat p 2,799,098 HEEL CONSTRUCTIONS Darvie, New York, N. Y., assignor of one-half to Joseph L. Abramson, Woodmere, N. Y.

Application December 10, 1956, Serial N0. 627,366 4 Claims. or. 36-34) Samuel This invention relates to heel constructions, particularly for ladies high-heeled shoes.

. n ed vly 7.

- 2 the entire load is carried by the post, and a preferably plastic and somewhat yieldably hollow shell surrounding and attached to the saddle and post.

In the above-mentioned aspects of my invention further objectives are to enable the said shell towithstand lateral impacts and'stresses without fracture or distortion, to permit the shell and associated components to be maintained in firm attachment to the shoe without any movement relative thereto, to enable the heel structure to accept alift without the danger of mutilation, to provide a construction adapted for extremely high heels with attractive lines and more slender configuration than is The most commonly employed heels for ladies shoes are made of wood, but it has long been known that such heels have certain shortcomings which are inherent in their structure and method of fabrication. Wooden heels are relatively heavy, are limited to certain configurations because of the limitations of the tools used in their fabrication, are limited as to the minimum proportions at the base of the heel whereby they cannot be made as narrow at that region as is often dictated by style, and

are readily subject to breakage, particularly when made in heights frequently required for acceptable styles. Moreover, the cost of wooden heels is necessarily comparatively high due to the relatively slow and intricate steps required in their fabrication, as well as to the timeconsuming process required in the assembly of the wooden heel to the shoe. Under conventional methods, a wooden heel is glued onto the rear under-portion of the shoe and held in place by suitable clamping means over an extended period of time, after which one or more screws are inserted from the inner rear of the shoe into the body of the heel, and a number of nails also inserted to prevent a turning of the heel relative to the shoe. Furthermore, it has been found that with such a construction there is danger of a separation of the heel from the screw and nail fasteners in very high-heeled shoes where molding techniques.

there is a large leverage through which impact forces can act.

In attempts to eliminate these shortcomings resort has been had to solid plastic heels, mass produced by known Although such heels lend themselves to a greater variety of shapes than do wooden heels, they are nevertheless also limited as to thinness at the base, since it has been found that this material is readily subject to fracture, inasmuch as the entire load 'is taken by the plastic body of the heel. It has also been observed that where a lift is attached to the base of a relatively thin plastic heel. by a screw, the plastic material frequently chips at the internally threaded recessed portion which receives the screw. Such solid plastic heels also are often too heavy for relatively lightweight shoes. 7 Metal shells have also been provided in an attempt to improve upon both wooden and plastic heels; but it has been found that because of the lack of yieldability of such shells, they are also subject to fracture and distortion, since the entire load is taken by the relatively thin walls.

It is the objective of this invention to provide a heel structure having none of the disadvantages and shortcomings hereinabove mentioned, which will be service- T able. over long periods of time, relatively light in weight, capable of being fabricated into a variety of forms, easily assembly and readily replaced, and comparatively .low in cost. In the accomplishment of these objectives I employ a novel combination of a substantially central- 5 1y disposed internal post, a saddle mounted thereon and positioned for supporting the rear of the shoe whereby possible with conventional constructions, and to enable 'the heel to be removed and replaced by another heel of ditferent configuration or ornamentation if so desired. And it is my further objective to enable the above objects to be accomplished by a heel structure that is relatively'light in weight, and that can be readily mass produced and assembled, to assure low costs.

Other objects, features and advantages will appear from the drawings and the description hereinafter given.

Referring to the drawings,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a shoe containing an embodiment of my invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary top view of the rear portion of the shoe, with the inner lining folded back to show the attaching means for the heel of this particular embodirnent.

Figure 3 is a partially disassembled view of the main heel-structure components before attachment to the shoe, the shell member being shown in cross-section.

Figure 4 is a view of the components to Fig. 3 shown in assembled relation and operatively attached to the rear portion of a shoe and to a lift.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary section of Fig. 4 taken along line 5-5.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the post and saddle components of the invention.

Figure 7 is a top view of the shell-portion looking in the direction of arrows 7-7 of Fig. 3. v

Figure 8 is a section of Fig. 4 taken along line 8-8.

Figure 9 is a section of Fig. 4 taken along line 9-9.

Figure 10 is a fragmentary somewhat enlarged vertical section, partly in elevation, of a modified form of the bottom of the heel construction and lift attached thereto.

Figure 11 is a disassembled view of the post and saddle components of another form of my invention, portions being shown in section.

Figure 12 is a vertical cross-section of the assembly of the components of Fig. 11 with the rear of a shoe.

Figure 13 is a fragmentary top view of Fig. 12, with the inner lining folded back.

Figure 14 is a topview of the saddle member of Fig. 11.v

Figure 15 is an exploded view of certain components of another modified form of my invention, for use with the saddle of Fig. 11, a fragment of the post being shown.

Figure 16 is a cross-sectional view like Fig. 12, but showing the fastening means of Fig. 15.

In the embodiment of my invention illustrated in Figs. 1 to 9, the shoe 20 has the rear portion, generally designated 21, to which the heel 22 of my invention is attached, in a manner to the hereinafter described. The said heel comprises the outer shell member 23, the post 24 and the saddle 25. It is preferred that the shell member 23 be of somewhat resilient plastic material, such wardly somewhat beyond the shell.

proportions-the bottom of portion 29 being cylindrical and proportioned for slidably receiving therein said post 24. The lower inner wall portion of the shell contains therein aplurality of inwardly extending protuberances 30, these being proportioned and positioned for engagement with the lowerannular recessed portion 31 of the post. The arrangement is hence such that when the post 24 is operatively pushed downwardly into the shell 23, said protuberances 30 will enter said recessed portion 31 and frictionally hold the post 24 against detachment. Since the said protuberances are, as illustrated, preferably rounded, at disengagement of said protuberances from said recessed portion 31 can be efiected by applying, a downward pull to the shell member 23.

The upper portion of said shell member has an inwardly recessed peripheral portion 32; and extending in a generally upward direction from the wall of said recessed portion are a plurality of spaced projections 33, preferably integral with the body of said shell, proportioned and positioned to enter and frictionally engage correspondingly positioned apertures in said saddle member 25, as will more clearly hereinafter appear.

Embedded within the bottom portion of shell member 23, and extending downwardly thereform, are the nails 34, these being adapted for securement to a lift assembly to be hereinafter described.

In the preferred form illustrated, the upper portion of the post 24 contains a terminal 35 of reduced diameter, and a shoulder portion 36the shoulder portion being in abutting engagement with the base of the hollow boss 37 integral with the saddle member 25, the reduced portion 35 extending into the internal bore 38 of the boss and being firmly and fixedly secured thereto in any manner known to those skilled in the art.

The saddle member 25 comprises a peripheral portion 39 shaped to conform to the peripheral recessed portion 32 of the shell 23, and 'a hollowed-out body portion 40 shaped substantially to receive the pad 41 constituting "the bottom of said rear portion 21 of the shoe. The said peripheral portion 39 contains therein spaced apertures 42 positioned and proportioned to frictionally receive therein the said projections 33 of the shell member 23. It will be observed that the saddle member 25 is inclined with respect to the substantially vertical post 24, the inclination being predetermined in accordance with the desired shape and configuration of the shoe and height of the heel.

In effecting the assembly of the heel construction and shoe, the post 24 and the saddle member 25 are pushed downwardly into the shell member 23, as aforesaid, peripheral portion 39 of the saddle resting upon recessed portion 32 of the shell and, in the particular form illustrated, the bottom portion 43 of the post extending down- Before the inner lining 44 is applied to the shoe, the saddle 25 is secured to the rear of the shoe by means of a plurality of screws 45 extending through said rear portion 21 and into threaded engagement with the correspondingly positioned threaded holes 46 in the body portion 44 of the saddle. After this assembly is effected, the said lining 44 can be attached in place, in conventional manner.

In the particular embodiment illustrated the heel is provided with a base portion comprising a washer 47 and lift 49. The washer 47 is applied against the base surface 48 of the post 24; and against said washer is applied the centrally apertured lift 49, a screw member 50 extending axially through said lift 49 and washer 47 and being inthreaded holding engagement with the bottom portion of said post 24, as illustrated in Fig. 4. The said nails 34 are forced through the washer 47 into the body of lift 49 during the aforesaid attaching operation, whereby the lift-and-Washer assembly is securely held in place against axial and rotary displacement.

Due to the fact that the bottom-most portion 43 of the post 24 extends below the shell, as aforesaid, a space 'of the saddle relative to the shoe.

51 is provided between washer 47 and the shell member 23. Communicating with said space is the air-vent channel 52 extending upwardly from the base surface 48a of shell 23 into said hollow interior portion 27. The arrangement is such that the device will not become airbound due to any flexing or contracting movements of the wall 26 of shell 23, the channel 52 permitting sufiicient freedom of flow of air between the interior of the shell and the atmosphere to prevent such variations in air pressure within the interior of the shell 23 as might cause buckling or partial collapse of the shell during the operative walking movement of the wearer.

With the structure above described and illustrated, it is apparent that practically the entire load is borne by the post 24 (which can be of metal or any suitable structurally strong material) and the saddle member 25, with practically no stress applied to the shell 23. Hence this construction obviates the danger of a fracture or bending of said shell 23, regardless of the thinness or structural strength of wall 26. Indeed, this freedom from internal strain under the stress of walking makes it possible not only to use extremely thin and light material for shell 23, but also enables it to be of soft or resilient properties, whereby it will yield during lateral or other impacts and thereby not be subject to chipping or marring. Moreover, since it is not necessary that the shell wall 26 have any great structural strength, it can be made of highly decora tive or attractively textured material not practical for heels of conventional construction.

The interlocking engagement of the projections 33 of shell member 23 with the apertures 42 of saddle member 25 serves to prevent any rotation of the saddle 25 and post 24 with respect to the shell 23; and since the saddle 25 is firmly attached, by fasteners 45, to the rear portion 21 of the shoe proper, the entire device will be rigidly maintained against displacement relative to the shoe.

Should it be desired to replace the shell member 23 with another shell member of selected external configuration or ornamentation, the shell member can be forced downwardly along the post 24 away from the saddle 25, thereby disengaging the said protuberances 30 from the recessed portion 31, and enabling a ready removal of the entire shell member 23. A replacement shell can then be readily attached by slipping it upwardly over the post 24 until engagement is made between the protuberances corresponding to 30 and the recessed portion 31-the projections corresponding to projections 33 entering the apertures 42 in the saddle.

in the modification illustrated in Fig. 10, a shell member 23a may be employed substantially as in the form first above described, but with a washer 47a disposed about the bottom of post 24:: and the lift 49 disposed directly against the base of said post 24a, the screw 50a securing the lift 49 directly to the post. This arrangement eliminates the gap 51 shown in Fig. 4; but otherwise the structure is similar to the said first form.

In the form of my invention illustrated in Figs. 11 to 14, the shell member 53 is substantially like the shell member 23 above described. The saddle member '54 contains a peripheral portion 55 with a plurality of peripheral holes 56 therein adapted to receive the projections '57 of the shell member, in the manner aforesaid. Additionally, the hollowed-out body portion 58 of the saddle has punched upwardly therefrom the prongs 59, so that when the device is operatively assembled upon the rearportion 21a of a shoe, said prongs will embed themselves into the pad 41a thereof, to prevent a turning The post 60 contains an upper portion 61 of reduced proportions, this extending upwardly through the aperture 62 of the boss 63, said upper portion 61 of the post being proportioned to extend above the saddle and preferably also above rear portion 21a of the shoe before the final attaching operation. Said rear portion 21a has an apertured portion 64 through which the upper portion 61 of the post extends, and an enlarged counter-bored portion 65. Disposed within said enlarged portion 65 is the hollowed-out washer 66, said washer containing a central aperture 67 through which said upper portion 61 of the post extends. The uppermost terminal 61a of portion 61 of the post has, before the assembling operation, the recessed portion 66. After the device is assembled to the shoe, the annular wall 69 defining said apertured portion 68 is swaged outwardly against the upper concave surface 66a of washer 66. The arrangement and proportions are such that when the swaging operation is completed, no part of the swaged wall 69 will extend above the surface of rear portion 21a of the shoe. Thereafter a lining '70 is placed over the shoe, covering the attaching means above described.

By this arrangement it is not necessary to employ any screws, such as the screws 45 shown in Fig. 2. All that need be done is to assemble the parts as above described; and then, by a single pressing operation, the swaging operation is performed, and at the same time the prongs 59 are imbedded in the body of rear portion 210. A very simple assembly is thus effected which not only lends itself to mass production methods, but also provides a secure connection between the heel construction and the shoe, eliminating the danger of detachment of the heel from the shoe.

In the form of my invention illustrated in Figs. and 16, the shell member 71 and the saddle 72 are like the corresponding members shown in Figs. ll and 12. However, the post 73 is slightly difierent in that the upper reduced portion '74 thereof contains a threaded hole 75 therein adapted to receive therein the screw member 76, there being a washer 77 disposed around the upper terminal portion 74 of post 73, as illustrated. The rear portion 21b of the shoe contains a recessed portion 78 proportioned to receive therein the said screw 76 and washer 77. This arrangement eliminates the swaging operation and enables the attachment to be effected by a single screw, without the danger of a rotary displacement of the saddle about the post, due to the presence of the prongs 79 which operate in the manner above described.

In the above description, the invention has been disclosed merely by way of example and in preferred manner; but obviously many variations and modifications may be made therein. It is to be understood, therefore, that the invention is not limited to any specific form or manner of practicing same, except insofar as such limitations are speciiiced in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a heel construction, a post, a saddle mounted on the post for underlying engagement with the rear of a shoe, and a shell member surrounding said post, said shell member having a hollow interior portion of reduced proportions at the lower portion thereof and of expanded proportions at the upper portion thereof, the internal wall defining said lower portion being in engagement with said post, and the internal wall defining said upper portion being spaced from said post, and an air-vent channel in the wall of said shell member communicating between said upper hollow interior portion and the atmosphere.

2. In a heel construction, the combination according to claim 1, said air-vent channel being disposed along the internal wall at said lower portion of said shell member adjacent said post and extending downwardly from said upper hollow interior portion to the base of said shell member.

3. In a heel construction, the combination according to claim I, said post extending below the lowermost portion of said shell member, a base member secured to the bottom of said post, whereby a space is provided between said base member and said lowermost portion of said shell member, and air-vent channel means communicating between said upper hollow interior portion of the shell member and said space.

4. In a heel construction, a post, a saddle mounted on the post for underlying engagement with the rear of a shoe, and a shell member surrounding said post, said shell member having at the upper periphery thereof a recessed portion in engagement with the periphery of said saddle, the lower portion of said post being in substantial peripheral engagement with the lower internal wall of said shell member, said post extending below the lowermost portion of said shell member, and a base member secured to the bottom of said post.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,344,356 Sahr June 22, 1920 2,200,375 Roberts May 14, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS 439,165 Great Britain Nov. 27, 1935 

